Biography

Dr. Schnipper is the immediate past Clinical Director of the Cancer Center and Chief, Division of Hematology/Oncology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Theodore W. and Evelyn G. Berenson Distinguished Professor of Medicine in the field of Oncology at Harvard Medical School. He is the Associate Director of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center for membership, and a member of its executive committee. Dr. Schnipper received his M.D. from the State University of New York Downstate College of Medicine, summa cum laude, and prior to joining the BIDMC, trained at the Yale New Haven Medical Center, the National Cancer Institute, and Washington University. In addition to his clinical work and teaching, Dr. Schnipper is deeply committed to oncology research, having been the recipient of numerous peer-reviewed grants over the years from the National Cancer Institute and American Cancer Society. He research has contributed to our understanding of the mechanism of action of anti-viral and anti-neoplastic therapies, genomic instability in cancer, and more recently, quality and value in cancer care. At the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Dr. Schnipper and colleagues built an innovative hematology-oncology clinical training program, complemented by a translational research program centered on translating advances in cancer biology to improvements in patient care. Dr. Schnipper has a long commitment to health care policy and medical ethics. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the American Cancer Society and president of its Massachusetts Division. He is the recipient of the St. George Medal from the American Cancer Society and a Distinguished Service Award and Special Recognition Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Dr. Schnipper has held numerous leadership positions in ASCO including Chairmanships of the Cancer Research, Ethics and Public Issues Committees, and currently serves as the Chairman of the ASCO Task Force on the Value of Cancer Care. Dr. Schnipper’s professional interests extend to Global Oncology. Since 2011 he has collaborated with NGO’s committed to supporting health care in under-resourced nations. These initiatives include a collaboration with two mission hospitals in rural Zimbabwe focused on prevention of cervical cancer. As of this date more than 19,000 women have been screened for this disease, many hundreds found to harbor pre-malignant lesions and treated accordingly. This work has also enabled replacement/refurbishment of needed equipment and upgrading infrastructure at the St. Albert’s Mission Hospital.

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